Product Description

The Ancient Meditation Technique that Brings Real Peace of Mind

Vipassand-bhavand, "the development of insight," embodies the essence of the teaching of the Buddha. As taught by S. N. Goenka, this path to self-awareness is extraordinary in its simplicity, its lack of dogma and, above all, its results. The Vipassana technique can be successfully applied by anyone.

Based on the lectures and writings of S. N. Goenka--and prepared under his direct guidance--The Art of Living shows how this technique can be used to solve problems, develop unused potential, and lead a peaceful, productive life. It includes stories by S. N. Goenka, as well as answers to students' questions, that convey a vivid sense of his teaching.

S. N. Goenka's Vipassana courses have attracted thousands of people of every background. Unique among teachers of meditation, Goenka is a retired industrialist and former leader of the Indian Community in Burma. Although a layman, his teaching has won the approval of senior Buddhist monks in Burma, India, and Sri Lanka, a number of whom have taken courses under his guidance. Despite his magnetism, he has no wish to be a "guru" --instead he teaches self-responsibility. This is the first systematic study of his teachings to appear in English.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95213 in Books
• Published on: 1987-03-11
• Released on: 1987-03-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

From the Publisher
Unlocks the Vipassana technique-"the development of insight'"--that embodies the essence of the teaching of the Buddha, revealing an extraordinarily simple and effective path to self-awareness.

About the Author
William Hart has studied Vipassana for many years. Since 1982, he has been conducting Vipassana courses in the West as an assistant teacher of S.N. Goenka.

Customer Reviews

A Great Book
This book is amazing. It has read my mind. Throughtout the book, it was telling me my mind state, how it works, how meditation works to solve puzzles put in front of you in your day to day life.

An excellent summary of Vipassana meditation
THE ART OF LIVING introduced me to S. N. Goenka's Vipassana Meditation courses and motivated me to sit in the Vipassana ten-day silent retreat. Even though no text or lecture replace actual experience (the word "water" does not quench thirst), this book provides a good flavor of what meditation is. It also gives sufficient rationale on why you should meditate and on how to end suffering following the teachings of the Buddha. Goenka and Hart refer to happiness as the absence of suffering. I do not like the term "happiness" because it means a different thing to each person. I prefer "harmony" (everybody agrees on its meaning) and, in consequence, the Buddha's goal is the elimination of "disharmony" or, in other words, the purification of the mind. Anyway whatever we have to do to reach happiness or harmony and, most important, why the practice of the eightfold path works properly are both very well explained in THE ART OF LIVING.

An Insider's Take on THE ART OF LIVING & Why BEYOND THE BREATH is the Perfect Compliment
Except for the author, I bet I've read and reread The Art of Living more than anyone else alive. Here's why:

Before learning the meditation technique taught by the Indian-Burmese meditation master S. N. Goenka, I'd practiced in other traditions for more than 15 years and completed many long meditation retreats. I only attended a Goenka course because the 10-day retreat was offered for free and I'm a frugal sort of guy. But half way through the first course, I was wowed by this meditation method: my body and mind spontaneously dissolved into energy and then "disappeared," my heart opened, and I felt more peaceful and happier than I had in a long time. Here was truly a better way to meditate! Soon after leaving that course, I was determined to figure out why it works so well, and spent most of the next three years writing and researching a book, which Tuttle published as Beyond the Breath: Extraordinary Mindfulness Through Whole-Body Vipassana Meditation (more on it at the end).

So back to The Art of Living; to talk about this book, you really need to talk about Goenka's 10-day course. But first note that it's a little misleading to call it a "Goenka course" since Goenka didn't invent this type of meditation. He learned it in Burma, where it is believed that over the millennia Burmese monks and meditation teachers have preserved the exact method the Buddha himself used.

Spread almost solely through word of mouth, Goenka's courses have spread across the globe. According to the independent Buddhist magazine Buddhadharma, each year an estimated 100,000 people take a Goenka course. This means he has probably taught more people Buddhist meditation than anyone in history--including the Buddha himself! (Admittedly, this comparison is a bit silly since the Buddha wasn't able to offer retreats via audio and videotape.)

It's worth noting, that although a layman, Mr. Goenka, who is independently wealthy, has never made any money from teaching Buddhism. As already noted, his famous ten-day meditation courses are offered for free. After finishing a course, students may give a donation (to the nonprofit foundation that takes care of the expenses of running a meditation center), but contributions are totally voluntary and there is never any pressure to give.

Goenkaji, as his students call him, has a beautiful voice, a delightful accent, a grandfatherly warmth, and a terrific sense of humor. These qualities work well to balance his passion and seriousness of purpose. During a course, he gives a clear and accessible framework for understanding Buddhism and how to do this type of meditation. Through collaboration with the assistant teacher Bill Hart, The Art of Living faithfully presents Goenka's teachings from his 10-day course--minus the meditation instructions and, naturally, the sound of his lyrical voice.

The book's strength's are those of Mr. Goenka's: clarity and accessibility. Most of his explanations are illustrated with a traditional Buddhist parable or with a story from his extensive teaching experiences. The book's weakness is that Mr. Goenka's charisma is diminished in print. Like any great teacher or storyteller, the book can't recreate his uncanny sense of timing and his animated voices. Perhaps this weakness isn't apparent to those who read the book before taking a course (I took a course before reading the book). Calling this a "weakness," though, is not to dis' The Art of Living, which is a valuable resource in its own right. It is helpful to have Mr. Goenka's presentation written down and the book includes some Q & A not presented during a course (Mr. Goenka, who was born in 1924, and is now in poor health has retired from active teaching).

The Art of Living is generally read by two types: someone who has recently finished a ten-day Goenka retreat or by someone considering taking a course. For the first group or "old students", the book is a great refresher and offers details you may have missed on the video or audio tape. For the total newcomer, the book will give you a sense of what to expect at a course, but it may diminish the impact hearing Goenka "live." Since I took my first course before reading the book and had a powerful experience, that's what I'd recommend. But if you haven't decided to definitely take a course, then by all means read the book first. The important thing is to get yourself to a course (yes, I know 10-days is a long time-except if you try to remember what you did over the last week and a half and it seems to have gone by in a flash).

Now here comes the immodest part (though, honest-promise!), since I'm recommending the book I wrote: Beyond the Breath (Tuttle Publishing). While the book stands on it's own, in many ways it complements The Art of Living. To help explain why this meditation method works so well, Beyond the Breath is much more apt to refer to scientific research than a traditional parable. For instance, Beyond the Breath explains why Goenka and the Buddha's advice to live a moral life makes so much sense based on what we now know about evolutionary psychology; it also explains an essential aspect of Buddhist practice on an easily understood biochemical basis. So while The Art of Living offers wonderful stories and great homespun analogies that make good common sense, Beyond the Breath, will be especially helpful for those who want to know WHY this method (and Buddhist practice in general) works so well. Such insight isn't just an intellectual exercise; greater understanding leads to greater confidence in actually doing the practice. I'm confident anyone who's taken or considering a Goenka course, or just interested in meditation or Buddhism will find it valuable.

But whether or not you read either book, again, I encourage you to take a course. To check out more about Goenka's courses: www[dot]dhamma[dot]org
Beyond the Breath: Extraordinary Mindfulness Through Whole-Body Vipassana Meditation